Saudi Arabia focuses on developing peaceful uses of nuclear tech: Energy Minister

Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman

Saudi Arabia’s atomic energy policy focuses on the importance of developing peaceful uses of nuclear technology, Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said at the general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today, Sept. 26.

The Kingdom is committed to its national policy, which ensures the highest standards of transparency, reliability, and the highest levels of safety, the minister added.

He also noted that Saudi Arabia is working in coordination with the IAEA, within the National Atomic Energy Program, to develop and implement national plans to enable nuclear energy, which will contribute to the energy mix to meet the requirements of national development.

The Kingdom stresses the importance of concerted international efforts to implement the provisions of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and also reiterates the importance of not politicizing non-proliferation issues, the minister said.

He also underlined the importance of preserving the rights of countries to benefit from peaceful nuclear technology and to invest in national natural resources, in accordance with relevant international treaties and agreements.

Saudi Arabia is working with the agency to build a program for the development of national human capabilities in the nuclear technology sector and its oversight aspects, as a result of which national capabilities have grown rapidly to keep pace with the best international standards, he added.

The minister also pointed out that the Kingdom calls on the international community to positively cooperate to develop nuclear technology and to firmly confront all attempts for non-peaceful and unsafe use of nuclear technology.